Can Bike Mechanic's Afford Anything?

From the outside looking in, being a bike mechanic seems like a pretty plush job. Loose uniform standards, get to work on cool bikes, no one is judging that neck tattoo, and you've got a discount on all the best stuff. 

This all assumes thought that you have enough money to live comfortably outside of the bike shop. If not, then it can seem to be a thankless job. I have written about bike technician salaries before- but recently converted some of the research into a quick slide deck. Check it out. 

Bike Mechanic Salaries from Donny Perry

If you share this slide deck with your favorite bike mechanic they will love you and think you're cool. No, really, they will. Better share it now! Thanks - Donny

Getting Paid Hourly? 5 Ways You Can Get Screwed!

If you’re working for a bike shop and getting paid hourly there are some things you should be aware of.

1. Minimum wage in the US as of 2009 is $7.25 an hour. Anything less is illegal.

2. Your boss is not required to pay overtime for Saturdays, Sundays or holidays unless you went over the forty hour mark on those days.

3. If you’re under 20 years old it is legal to pay you $4.25 per hour for the first 90 days of employment. Luckily it is illegal to terminate someone making $7.25 or more and replace them with an employee making $4.25.

4. Many states do not require breaks or meal periods for hourly employees.

5. While the laws are very clear that overtime happens after 40 hours in a seven day period, it is not so clear on how many hours per day before overtime is required. Working 11 hours in one day may not equal 3 hours of overtime.

If you’re an owner or manager- don’t be a jerk, don’t do these things.

In the US, you can learn more about the labor rights by visiting the Department of Labor. 

Thanks for reading. If you found this article valuable I would appreciate it if you shared it on your social channels. Thanks- Donny

Want To Be A Bike Mechanic? You Might Want To Avoid This State.

People don't usually work in bike shops for the money, but this is ridiculous. Here are the highest and lowest paying states for bike mechanics. 

According to Salary.com the median annual salary for a bike technician in the United States is $22,337 (The website refers to bike technicians as "bicycle repairers". I know, it’s horrible.) Compare the bike technicians’ salary to $24,274, the median salary for someone who repairs shoes, $25,188 for janitors, or $29,962 for a groundskeeper or gardener. While I do not intend to demean those other professions I do want to point out that a bike technician’s skill set is just as varied, if not more so.

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When breaking down the median salary by state, California was the leader, followed by New York and New Jersey. Alabama, West Virginia, and Mississippi take the last three spots respectively. 

1. California: $26,983 (San Francisco)
2. New York: $26,045 (New York)
3. New Jersey: $25,509 (Trenton)
4. Alaska: $25,285 (Anchorage)
5. Hawaii: $24,548 (Honolulu)
6. Delaware: $24,436 (Wilmington)
7. Massachusetts: $24,392 (Boston)
8. Washington: $24,101 (Seattle)
9. Connecticut: $23,856 (Hartford)
10. New Hampshire: $23,565 (Nashua)
11. Illinois: $23,431 (Chicago)
12. Michigan: $23,409 (Ann Arbor)
13. Rhode Island: $23,186 (Providence)
14. Maryland: $23,074 (Baltimore)
15. Pennsylvania: $23,007 (Philadelphia)
16. Oregon: $22,828 (Portland)
17. Maine: $22,806 (Portland)
18. Ohio: $22,694 (Cleveland)
19. Louisiana: $22,627 (New Orleans)
20. Colorado: $22,381 (Boulder)
21. Minnesota: $22,337 (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
22. Virginia: $22,314 (Richmond)
23. Georgia: $22,158 (Atlanta)
24. Arizona: $22,158 (Phoenix)
25. Florida: $21,912 (Miami)
26. Nevada: $21,912 (Las Vegas)
27. Indiana: $21,823 (Indianapolis)
28. Missouri: $21,756 (Kansas City)
29. Texas: $21,644 (Austin)
30. Idaho: $21,622 (Boise)
31. Kansas: $21,510 (Wichita)
32. Vermont: $21,399 (Burlington)
33. Utah: $21,332 (Salt Lake City)
34. Kentucky: $21,265 (Lexington)
35. Iowa: $21,198 (Des Moines)
36. Oklahoma: $21,153 (Tulsa)
37. Nebraska: $20,907 (Omaha)
38. North Carolina: $20,863 (Fayetteville)
39. New Mexico: $20,684 (Albuquerque)
40. Wisconsin: $20,550 (Madison)
41. South Carolina: $20,527 (Columbia)
42. North Dakota: $20,103 (Bismarck)
43. South Dakota: $20,014 (Rapid City)
44. Tennessee: $19,924 (Chattanooga)
45. Arkansas: $19,880 (Little Rock)
46. Montana: $19,768 (Billings)
47. Wyoming: $19,701 (Casper)
48. Alabama: $19,634 (Montgomery)
49. West Virginia: $19,433 (Charleston)
50. Mississippi: $18,450 (Jackson)

The sample city I researched is in parenthesis.

Where do you stand on the list? Do these numbers seem right or is Salary.com way off the mark? 

Thanks for taking the time to read this far. If you found value in this piece would you please consider sharing it on social? Thanks again. Donny